Amazon sells Kindle Fire at low profit margin to promote online merchandize sales

EL SEGUNDO, USA: An IHS analysis reveals Amazon’s business model for its new Kindle Fire tablet, with the company willing to settle for a razor-thin margin on sales of devices and digital content in order to achieve the larger goal of promoting merchandize sales at its online store.

A preliminary virtual estimate conducted by the IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Service places Kindle Fire’s bill of materials (BOM) cost at $191.65. With the addition of manufacturing expenses, the total cost to produce the Kindle Fire rises to $209.63.

When further costs outside of materials and manufacturing are added in—and the $199 price of the tablet is factored along with the expected sales of digital content per device—Amazon is likely to generate a marginal profit of $10 on each Kindle Fire sold.

However, the real benefit of the Kindle Fire to Amazon will not be in selling hardware or digital content. Rather, the Kindle Fire, and the content demand it stimulates, will serve to promote sales of the kinds of physical goods that comprise the majority of Amazon’s business. Amazon doesn’t make a substantial profit on sales of Kindle hardware and content such as e-books and music. Instead, the Seattle-based online-retail giant generates its profits on sales of shoes, diapers, and every other kind of physical product imaginable. Similar to Walmart and other large brick-and-motor retailers, Amazon’s content business is designed to lure in consumers to buy such everyday goods as well as other money-making items.

The importance of this strategy cannot be underestimated. So far, no retailer has managed to create an umbilical link between digital content and a more conventional retail environment. With Kindle, Amazon has created the most convincing attempt at this yet, and it is doing so by using established retail tactics: deploying content to get shoppers in the door, and then selling them all sorts of other goods. This is exactly how Walmart, Target and others use a similar weapon—in their case, DVDs. If doing this means that Amazon must take a loss on the sales of digital content and tablet hardware, it will be well worth it in the end.

This business model is unique to Amazon. No other tablet brand or e-book reader operates such a broad retail service, which generated $34 billion in revenue in 2010. Conversely no other retailer can offer a tablet specifically designed to promote sales of its goods.

With its use of the Android operating system, the Kindle Fire is a multifunction device. Therefore, while its main use is as a color e-book reader, it also has a browser for surfing the Web and the capability to load apps. Such capabilities put the Kindle Fire in the tablet category—although it is more a “super e-book reader” than a low-cost tablet.

This is a critical difference in the perception of the customer and in setting their expectations. While some say the super e-book reader approach of the Kindle Fire means it falls short of the iPad’s capabilities, IHS believes it actually represents an enhancement of the e-book reader, which will serve to expand both the e-book reader and tablet markets. Because of this, IHS believes the Kindle Fire will be a successful product.

With its lower pricing than the iPad, and its positioning as a super eReader, the Kindle Fire may serve in fact to expand the tablet market beyond current expectations. As such, the Kindle Fire potentially could become the No. 2 selling tablet after the iPad.

The Amazon Kindle Fire tablet likely leverages design elements and component selections from the Playbook tablet from Research in Motion Ltd. Both the Kindle Fire and the PlayBook are manufactured by Taiwanese electronics contract manufacturer Quanta Computer Inc. Because Quanta engages in product design, it likely is repurposing much of the expertise it gained from developing the PlayBook for use in the Kindle Fire.

The preliminary virtual teardown of the Kindle Fire estimates that display/touch screen is the most expensive subsystem of the device, at $87. The applications processor in the Kindle Fire likely a dual core device, priced at $15.

The IHS iSuppli Teardown Analysis Team plans to conduct a complete physical teardown of the Kindle Fire when the product begins shipping.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

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In love with MANGO

Забрела в Манго и не могла не примерить эту красотку:) Никогда раньше не носила такой стиль, но почему бы и нет, особенно под tights и шпильку?)

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PCCare247: A One-Stop Destination for Peripheral Support

Printers, Scanners and Digital Cameras have one thing in common and that being all three of them can bail out on you anytime without any warning and reason. Leaving you frustrated and angry since their inability to operate efficiently might very well end up pegging back your venture's credibility by a long way. Not of any consequence whether the same is a residential or a commercial one.

Click and avail expert Peripheral support 

Missing drivers, corrupt software, viruses, bugs are terms which can render your gadget useless and make it defunct to say the least. But then again if something of such sorts were to happen at a crucial juncture where the utility of such peripherals would be felt the most; you are anything but heading for trouble big time. And thus needless to say seeking expert peripheral support from a premier tech support provider such as PCCare247 becomes a need of the hour.

Moreover, with such entities boasting of highly expert and certified technicians a quick diagnose of the issue and a resolution with regards to any peripheral problem is always on hands. Available 24x7 and making full use of the remote chat facility, the technical experts at such a premier entity are indeed more than ready to resolve up to 90% of the issue on the first call itself.

In a nutshell, all that can be said is, "It is wise to seek professional help before you try it yourself". For you may never know at such tech support entities other than just receiving help on a call, you might also end up receiving complete troubleshooting solutions as well as the free installation of external devices. In essence, all we can say is now one need not go on and scroll through heavy installation manuals, for entities of the like of PCCare247 would be more than happy to work on your behalf.

Portfolio of services offered 

At a tech support entity where peripheral support is a service in the overall portfolio of service being offered, clients can rest assure they would end up being recipient of services such as:

• Setting up of peripheral devices such as Printer setup, Scanner setup, MP3 Player and Digital Camera
• Installation of drivers and other utilities considered quintessential for running such devices
• Diagnosing and troubleshooting of errors for devices already installed

However, in any case if one does feel there are issues with regards to peripheral support which are not covered in the aforesaid portfolio they can still give a call to a tech support professionals for they at the end of the day have more than one solution up their sleeve.

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24x7 Network Support from PCCare247 Acts as an Ideal Foil against Malware

More than ever before networks are increasingly being threatened by malware. And it really seems in the near future the MIPS (Million Instructions per Second) platform acting at the core of a majority of network equipments is bound to face a huge onslaught.  Wherein, cyber criminals are all geared up to inflict heavy damage on the platform which in its nascent stages and to a certain extent is incapable of putting up credible defense. Rationale which only further makes it imperative for one to look at reasons making a malware an ultimate nemesis for a network.   

Reasons to opt for expert network support 

There can be many reasons to opt for expert network support of a premier tech support provider. But just then to drive home the point mentioning the most pivotal of such reasons might keep one in good shape. Starting with:

• Prevalence:  A good majority of PC users have devices such as ADSL modem or a Wi-Fi router provided by their ISP provider. Equipment coming in good towards allowing PC users to share their internet connection between laptops, desktops, tablets and devices. But then again at the same time also making them susceptible to malware. 

•  Failure of on-hand solutions: Malware can often lurk on network devices as no one gives a second thought about their security. Further, making it highly impossible for conventional anti-virus solutions to go on and detect them.

• Highly susceptible and easy to target: Vulnerable in their orientation and with many users unaware about the intricacies of MIPS devices, a majority of them are anything but an easy prey for cyber criminals. 

• Easy and Constant Access:  A good number of MIPS devices are rarely rebooted or powered down making them an easy access for cyber criminals.

• Constant Control of the network: Attackers can take control of a network 24x7 and monitor sensitive information being sent to and from.

• Heavy DNS Redirections: Cyber criminals often resort to changing the IP addresses of DNS servers which may further lead to transparent redirection to the malicious or phishing sites of all hosts on a network.

Well, at the end of the day very well leading us to a conclusion an average home user with little or no knowledge of network security has almost no chance of detecting the malware. And thus for such users for  tiding over any contingency would mean going in for expert network support from anything but the most sought after premier tech support provider such as PCCare247.

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41% of American Smartphone Buyers Looking to iPhone 5

The iPhone 5 hasn't even been reveal yet and smartphone buyers are already going crazy for it. Even before release, 41% of smartphone owners said they'd buy the iPhone 5. Of those 41%, 50% said they'd buy it within the first 6 months. The research was conducted by InMobi, who went into further detail. The also found that 51% of current iPhone owners would be buying the new model. But what's most shocking, is that 52% of Blackberry owners said they would be getting the iPhone 5, and 28% of Android buyers would be making the switch to iOS with the iPhone 5.

InMobi did say that there would be less demand if the next iPhone is just a speed bump, an iPhone 4S. But, if current rumors are true, Apple will be releasing both a speed bump for the iPhone 4, and a brand new model alongside it.

Are you excited about the iPhone 5? Just a few more days until Apple reveals it.
via BGR

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Highly Detailed iPhone 5 Mockup

Not content with the Photoshopped mockups of the iPhone 5, the guys over at Benm.at decided to make a real mockup, out of aluminum and glass. What they've come up with looks almost Apple quality.

They based the design off of rumors and leaked case measurements. They then used CAD to create a highly detailed design. Then, using their CNC machining equipment, they carved out the back of the mockup from aluminum, and placed a slab of glass on the front, cut and shaped to what we expect the iPhone 5 to look like.

Quite a good job. If the iPhone 5 looks anything like this, it's going to be incredibly sought after.  You can find more photos on their blog here.
via Engadget

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iPhone 5 Cases Appear in AT&T Inventory

Cases seem to be the indicator for new iPhones. There's always a case related leak before the release of the iPhone. Today, we have another one of those case related leaks.

An AT&T employee snapped this photo of AT&T's inventory system, showing three different iPhone 5 cases from Case Mate. If you'll remember, Case Mate accidentally leaked some photos of their iPhone 5 cases previously, which you can see below.

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Download Game Catch Me Girl Edition for Nokia 5800, N97, X6 and 5530

Catch Me Girl Edition is a very unique game for Symbian^3 and Symbian S60v5 based touch screen mobile devices. In this game, you will help a little girl to avoid the security guys. You need to pay full attention and don't let them catch the girl.

Sounds very easy but I bet if you can escape more than 100 seconds, you must be a master. If you survive for more than 200 seconds? It's Amazing! More than 1000 seconds? Hold on, no way! next to impossible! Catch me is an ultmate fun game which you can play on your mobile for hours.

Catch Me game works with Nokia N8, E7, C7, X7, 5800 XpressMusic, 5228, 5230, 5233, 5235, 5530 XpressMusic, N97, X6 and N97 Mini. The game is developed by Dragon Sight. The version 1.0.0 of this game is available to download. Enjoy it!


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• Download Game BUBBLE BOM for Nokia 5800, N97, X6, 5530, 5235 and N8
• Download Game Nextwave's Carnival Blast for Nokia 5800, N97, X6 and 5530

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Despite media tablet inroads, notebook PC lives on

EL SEGUNDO, USA: Although the media tablet war has inflicted an early casualty on the mobile PC industry with the demise of the netbook, the overall notebook market will live to fight another day, with shipments rising by 100 million units by 2015 partly because of the rising sales of PC tablets, according to new IHS iSuppli Compute Platforms Service research.

Worldwide notebook unit shipments are expected to rise to 324.9 million in 2015, up 104.8 million from 220.1 million in 2011. Although annual notebook shipment growth will slow during the coming years because of rising tablet competition, the notebook market will continue to expand because of the key role that the platform plays among businesses and consumers.Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

“Despite the intense competition from media tablets, notebooks remain a useful tool that has become an essential part of modern life—rather than a luxury item,” said Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst for compute platforms research at IHS. “Compared to the consumption-oriented media tablets, notebooks are superior platforms for content creation tasks, ranging from developing websites, to building rich documents, to editing high-definition videos and photos. Because of this, the notebook PC will continue to be an important, expanding market—even if its sales growth will be slower than it was in the past.”

Tablets battle notebooks for consumer mind share
Thanks to its strong brand image as well as astute product and price positioning, Apple’s iPad has enjoyed overwhelming success. As a result, the global media tablet market has exceeded growth expectations since tablets were released to the market at the beginning of the second quarter of 2010.

IHS predicts global media tablet shipments will reach 60 million units in 2011, up 245.9 percent from 17.4 million in 2010. Shipments are expected to increase to 275.3 million in 2015.

“Following the launch of Apple’s iPad and other high-profile devices, consumers have been bombarded with media tablet advertising and press coverage,” Wilkins noted. “And with the media tablet portrayed as providing the same capabilities as the notebook PC, consumers are considering media tablets to be an alternative to notebooks. This has caused notebook sales growth to slow down compared to past years.”

Tablets come as a bitter pill for netbooks
Nowhere has the impact of tablets on notebooks been more apparent than in the once-hot netbook segment.

After enjoying double-digit growth from 2008 through 2010, netbook shipments are set to decline to 21.5 million units in 2011, down 33.2 percent from 32 million in 2010. Shipments are expected to continue to decrease during the coming years and will dwindle to 13.5 million units in 2015.

“A similar user experience to that of the netbook is offered by the media tablet, with both being highly portable platforms allowing convenient consumption of multimedia content, whether offline or online,” Wilkins noted. “Thus, the media tablet is attracting purchases from consumers who otherwise might buy notebooks.”

Tablets go PC
Ironically, the notebook market is expected to find some solace from the onslaught of media tablets in an unlikely place: the PC tablet. PC tablets are slate or convertible/hybrid tablets that incorporate a full PC operating system such as Windows 7 or Linux.

Unlike the great success of the media tablet, the PC tablet to date has only gained limited penetration into the mainstream business segment as an alternative to the notebook PC, along with small success in vertical markets including medical, logistics and education.

However, the launch by Microsoft Corp. of its new Windows 8 operating system in late 2012 will boost the acceptance of the PC tablet in the enterprise segment as well as the consumer market, because of its compatibility with current PC applications and other PC platforms.

As such, IHS predicts that growth of PC tablets will begin to accelerate in 2013—one year after Windows 8 is released—with shipments of 10 million units. PC tablet shipments then are expected to nearly quintuple by 2015, reaching 45.2 million units.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

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Samsung Blatantly Copied Apple

Apple is currently in the process of suing Samsung for copying their designs. It's easy to see why.
Yesterday, Amazon showed that the Android operating system could be used as the basis for a completely unique, great looking, and functional interface. And, because they put the extra effort into it, the OS runs better on their hardware than Android does on their Android using competitors hardware, even though it has lower hardware specs.
There's a lot more evidence below.

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Shop for Sharlie!

I just wanted to make my blog readers aware of this event going on!

Sharlie is a wife and mom.
She loves to read.
She loves to laugh.
She has an infectious smile.
And the best hugs on the planet.
Sharlie is also awaiting a double lung AND heart transplant.
She is an inspiration.
A fighter.
A miracle.
Jessica (one of Sharlie's best friends) and Mique reached out to the creative community to come up with a way to raise funds for her impending medical bills. They created a Shop for Sharlie- full of tutorials, printables, and advertising opportunities. Every single dollar raised will go straight to Sharlie's Angels. So shop 'til your heart is content. And in return it will help Sharlie get her new heart.

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Sept. 2011 Symantec intelligence report: Polymorphic malware rate peaks at 72 percent

BANGALORE, INDIA: Symantec Corp. announced the results of the September 2011 Symantec Intelligence Report, now combining the best research and analysis from the Symantec.cloud MessageLabs Intelligence Report and the Symantec State of Spam & Phishing Report.

This month’s analysis reveals that a deluge of malicious email-borne malware has left a clear mark on the threat landscape for September. Approximately 72 percent of all email-borne malware in September could be characterized as aggressive strains of generic polymorphic malware, first identified in the July Symantec Intelligence Report. At the end of July, this rate was 23.7 percent, in August it fell slightly to 18.5 percent, before soaring to 72 percent in September.

“This unprecedented high-water mark underlines the nature by which cyber criminals have escalated their assault on businesses in 2011, fully exploiting the weaknesses of more traditional security countermeasures,” said Abhijit Limaye, director, Development, Symantec.

Further analysis reveals that the social engineering behind many of these attacks has also accelerated, with the adoption of a variety of new techniques such as pretending to be an email from a smart printer/scanner being forwarded by a colleague in the same organization.

“The idea of an office printer sending malware is perhaps an unlikely one, as printers and scanners were not actually used in these attacks, but perhaps this sense of security is all that is required for such a socially engineered attack to succeed in the future,” Limaye said.

Although spam levels remained fairly stable during September, Symantec Intelligence observed the use of identified vulnerabilities in certain older versions of the popular WordPress blogging software on a large number of Web sites across the Internet. Spam emails containing links to these compromised Web sites are also being spammed out. It is important to note that blogs hosted by WordPress themselves seem to be unaffected.

The exploitation of these vulnerabilities to serve spammers’ interests is a stark reminder for the need to ensure software is up-to-date with latest patches and releases.

Additional research also reveals that JavaScript is becoming increasing popular as programming language by spammers and malware authors. JavaScript is increasingly used to conceal where spammers are redirecting, and in some cases, also to conceal entire Web pages.

“For spammers, hosting simple JavaScript obfuscation pages on free hosting sites can increase the lifetime of that site before the site operator realizes the page is being used for malicious activity,” Limaye said. “JavaScript is popularly used for redirecting visitors of a compromised Web site to the spammers landing page. While some of these techniques have been common in malware distribution for some time, spammers are increasingly using them.”

Other report highlights:
Spam: In September 2011, the global ratio of spam in email traffic declined to 74.8 percent (1 in 1.34 emails), a decrease of 1.1 percentage points when compared with August 2011.

Phishing: In September, phishing email activity diminished by 0.26 percentage points since August 2011; one in 447.9 emails (0.223 percent) comprised some form of phishing attack.

E-mail-borne threats: The global ratio of email-borne viruses in email traffic was one in 188.7 emails (0.53 percent) in September, an increase of 0.04 percentage points since August 2011.

Web-based malware threats: In September, Symantec Intelligence identified an average of 3,474 Web sites each day harboring malware and other potentially unwanted programs including spyware and adware; an increase of 1.0 percent since August 2011.

Endpoint threats: The most frequently blocked malware for the last month was W32.Sality.AE, a virus that spreads by infecting executable files and attempts to download potentially malicious files from the Internet.

Geographical trends
Spam
* Saudi Arabia remained the most spammed geography; with a spam rate of 84 percent.
* Russia became the second most-spammed.
* In China 89.3 percent of email blocked as spam.
* In the US, 74.5 percent of email was spam and 74.1 percent in Canada.
* The spam level in the UK was 75.5 percent.
* In The Netherlands, spam accounted for 76.4 percent of email traffic, 75.5 percent in Germany, 75.2 percent in Denmark and 73.3 percent in Australia.
* In Hong Kong, 73.9 percent of email was blocked as spam and 72.6 percent in Singapore, compared with 71.6 percent in Japan.
* Spam accounted for 74.3 percent of email traffic in South Africa and 77.1 percent in Brazil.

Phishing
* Phishing attacks in South Africa increased once more position the country as the most targeted geography for phishing in September, with one in 133.1 emails identified as phishing.
* The UK remained the second most targeted country, with one in 221.1 emails identified as phishing attacks.
* Phishing levels for the US were one in 985.9 and one in 317.6 for Canada.
* In Germany, phishing levels were one in 1,125, one in 1,071 in Denmark and one in 377.2 in The Netherlands.
* In Australia, phishing activity accounted for one in 740 emails and one in 1,882 in Hong Kong; for Japan it was one in 12,812 and one in 1,958 for Singapore.
* In Brazil, one in 439 emails was blocked as phishing.

E-mail-borne threats
* Email-borne malware attacks in Hungary climbed to one in 111.2 emails, positioning the country at the top of the table with the highest ratio of malicious emails in September.
* Switzerland was the second most geography under fire in September, with one in 128.2 emails was identified as malicious in September.
* In the UK, one in 129.9 emails was blocked as malicious.
* Virus levels for email-borne malware reached one in 224.8 in the US and one in 164.8 in Canada.
* In Germany, virus activity reached one in 197.9, one in 488.8 in Denmark and in The Netherlands one in 174.9.
* In Australia, one in 341.5 emails were malicious and one in 215.6 in Hong Kong; for Japan it was one in 658.3, compared with one in 307.2 in Singapore.
* In Brazil, one in 363.5 emails in contained malicious content.

Vertical trends
* In September, the automotive industry sector remained as the most spammed industry sector, with a spam rate of 77.8 percent.
* The spam level for the education sector was 77.2 percent and 74.6 percent for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, 74.4 percent for IT services, 74.3 percent for retail, 74.5 percent for public sector and 74.3 percent for finance.
* The public sector remained the most targeted by phishing activity in September, with one in 125.8 emails comprising a phishing attack.
* Phishing levels for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector reached one in 797.3 and one in 754.6 for the IT services sector, one in 664.5 for retail, one in 156.9 for education and one in 388.6 for finance.
* With one in 61.5 emails being blocked as malicious, the public sector remained the most targeted industry in September.
* Virus levels for the chemical and pharmaceutical sector were one in 104.5 and one in 192.2 for the IT services sector; one in 276.1 for retail, one in 80.1 for education and one in 240.9 for finance.

The September 2011 Symantec Intelligence Report provides greater detail on all of the trends and figures noted above, as well as more detailed geographical and vertical trends.

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Kindle Fire vs iPad

After reading about the Kindle Fire, you're probably wondering "how does this stack up against the iPad?". The answer is a bit complicated. If you just consider the hardware and the OS, there's no comparison; the iPad wins hands down. It's faster, has more storage, optional 3G, a larger screen, more apps, more books, physical controls (buttons!), true multitouch, cameras, a microphone, gyroscope, motion sensors, gps, a compass, more compatible accessories, the same cloud syncing, the iPad is thinner, and even I'm sure there are even more features I can't think of. Clearly, the iPad is a better tablet than the Kindle Fire. But there's more to the story below.


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Launch of Amazon tablet

Adam Leach, Ovum Practice Leader

AUSTRALIA: Amazon unveiled a new range of Kindle devices including its much anticipated move into the tablet market with the announcement of the Kindle Fire. Amazon is going head to head with Apple and the iPad with a consumer-centric media consumption device. Amazon is hoping to attract consumers with a device that has direct access to its huge content library of books, music, films and TV shows.

The company has priced the Kindle Fire at $199. The pricing is critical to gain traction in the tablet market where the iPad has effectively become the defacto standard. Rival manufacturers have failed to attract consumers as they have matched the iPad’s price point without matching its content offering, whereas the Kindle Fire has access to Amazon’s content store and is half the price of the cheapest iPad model.

Amazon’s retail-based business model allows the company to subsidize the device on the premise that consumers will buy more from Amazon, be that physical goods or its digital content. This model is the direct inverse of Apple’s model; Amazon is selling a device in order to sell more content where as Apple sells content in order to sell more devices.

However, the device is still an integral part of Amazon’s proposition; it still needs to be attractive in its own right to consumers. Amazon has opted for a 7” display, the same size as the Blackberry Playbook. This screen size has undoubtedly helped them achieve a lower price point for the device but so far this form factor has not been popular with consumers, we shall see if this is related to other aspects of those devices other than its screen size.

The Amazon Fire is based on Google’s Android operating system; however, it appears that Amazon is positioning its own services above those of Google’s by using the Amazon Android app store and its own mobile browser based on its own dynamic split browsing technology, essentially creating its own variant of Android. This will have significant implications for developers wishing to deploy Android applications to the device if the two platforms do not remain compatible. It will also force consumers to choose if Amazon’s set of services are more valuable to them than Google’s when buying a tablet.

From a standing start in 2010, Ovum expects shipments of tablets and other mobile Internet devices based on “lite” operating systems (OSs) to reach 41 million by year-end 2011, rising to 219 million units in calendar year 2016. This equates to a CAGR of 45 percent across the period 2010–16. Ovum does not see shipments of tablets and other mobile Internet devices significantly eroding the growing demand for smartphones, especially those that are fundamentally similar in their hardware and software technology. The utility of smartphones is simply greater than that of tablets and similar devices for a majority of users.

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Apac public cloud services market to hit revenues of $12 billion

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA: The Asia-Pacific (AP) public cloud services market will increase five fold over the next five years with revenues of $12billion in 2016, according to Ovum.

In a new forecast, the independent technology analyst finds the market will see CAGR of 34 per cent from the US$2.89 billion it will reach at the end of 2011. Asia-Pacific will increase its share from 16 per cent in 2011, to 18.8 per cent in 2016.

Meanwhile, Europe, the Middle East and Africa will remain the second-largest market over the forecast period. The region’s share will increase from 27 per cent in 2011 to 29 per cent in 2016. Western Europe will grow at a CAGR of 31.2 per cent from 2011 to 2016 to reach $17.2 billion, up from $4.4 billion in 2011. Eastern Europe will grow at a CAGR of 30.7 per cent from 2011 to 2016 to reach $1.5 billion, up from $396 million in 2011. The Middle East and Africa will increase at a CAGR of 31.7 per cent from 2011 to 2016, rising from $114 million to $451 million.

Saurabh Sharma, senior analyst for Market Intelligence commented, “AP public cloud services market will grow at the fastest rate amongst all the regions, growth will be driven by the rapid uptake in SME segment as these enterprises continue to realize the strategic gains associated with the shift to cloud.”

Increasingly favorable economic conditions and the fast improving infrastructure environment will serve as a major enabler for uptake of cloud services in this region. In AP, Australia, New Zealand, China and India will grow at faster rates while Japan remains the top contributor to regional cloud services market. “Recent moves by the major cloud service providers to set up datacenters in AP further underline the increasing strategic importance of the region in the global cloud services market,” added Sharma, based in Hyderabad.

In terms of the cloud computing service lines globally, SaaS will shrink from 87 per cent of the market in 2011, to 62 per cent in 2016, due to the rise of IaaS and PaaS, which will grow from nine per cent and five per cent, respectively, to 23 per cent and 16 per cent, at the end of the forecast period.

According to Laurent Lachal, Ovum’s cloud computing senior analyst, while the market is growing at a fast pace and players such as Amazon and Google are making much progress, the impact of public clouds will not be to render IT departments obsolete, but rather to shift their focus.

He commented: ‘Shifts will include taking a more holistic approach to connecting networks, hardware and software. IT departments will also reduce their emphasis on maintenance and increase their innovation, while being encouraged to take more risks, by giving employees the capacity to tackle high-reward ventures. But as ever, preparation is the key to ensuring that cloud computing delivers a positive outcome.”

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Amazon's New Kindles

Amazon has been busy. Today, Amazon announced their new tablet, the Kindle Fire, the latest Kindle Touch, and an update to the Kindle. The Kindle Touch and Kindle updates were evolutionary, but very noticeable updates. The brand new Fire, however, is a new type of Kindle, and it's going up to bat against Android tablets and, in some ways, even the iPad. Read up on each new device below.

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Gift for the ART teacher

Having taken Art classes since I was a young child, I have a special place in my heart for Art Teachers. The classroom teachers get lots of back to school gifts, holiday and end of year gifts but what about the Art Teacher? She is assigned to ALL the classes and ALL the children in elementary school so I wanted to create a gift just for her!

supplies:

Free ART saying printable - download here

art supplies

handy tote/container to put it in

misc ribbons, yards, trims, etc

Step 1: Our school website has a "wish list" for each teacher. Including the Art Teacher. We gathered the supplies from her wish list including items like - markers, colored pencils, erasers, pencils, gluesticks, etc. I think adding in a gift certificate to a local craft store would be great too!

Step 2: I found a nice sized tote to put the supplies in which could also come in handy for whatever she needs it for in her classroom. I also included a pencil holder to help keep her organized. 

Step 3: Print off the ART saying and frame or create a card with it. I had mine printed at a 1 hour place instead of using my computer and then made it into a card. 

Adding the finishing touches by taking several different pieces of trims, ribbon, yarn, etc and tying it around the tote. Add your card and surprise the ART teacher at your school! 

The Art teacher will LOVE you for it! 

I will be linking up HERE!

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Greenliant now shipping SATA NANDrive

SANTA CLARA, USA: Greenliant Systems, a leader in energy-efficient, highly secure and reliable solid state storage products, has started volume production of its SATA interface NANDrive™ solid state drives (SSDs). The GLS85LS product family has the same pin-out across all capacities—2 GB, 4 GB, 8 GB, 16 GB, 32 GB and higher in the future—which simplifies system-level board design.

Measuring 14mm x 24mm x 1.95mm, in a 145 ball grid array (BGA), 1mm ball pitch package, SATA NANDrive devices are one of the smallest SSDs, giving OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) flexibility when designing data storage into their embedded products. The BGA package can be soldered directly onto the motherboard—no extra connectors are needed—providing added stability to the SSD.

Compatible with the latest generation chipsets, SATA NANDrive combines Greenliant's proprietary high-performance NAND flash controller with up to eight NAND flash die in a multi-chip package. As a fully integrated SSD—when compared to using discrete NAND and a controller—NANDrive improves customers' time-to-market by eliminating the need to procure and qualify multiple chips.

"As NAND flash memory continues to rapidly shrink, making it difficult for embedded products to keep up, a standard-interface storage solution that doesn't require redesigns at each new geometry node is needed," said Michael Yang, Principal Analyst for Memory & Storage, iSuppli Corporation. "The timing is right for BGA package SSDs like NANDrive."

"By offering NANDrive with a SATA interface, we are providing our automotive, industrial, medical and enterprise networking customers an essential building block for their embedded systems," said Bing Yeh, CEO of Greenliant Systems. "Products that use NANDrive—such as robotics, ruggedized tablets, blade servers and car infotainment systems—have unique storage requirements. They need SSDs that will reliably preserve data integrity, with long operating life and 'military-grade' security options, which are Greenliant's areas of expertise and where NANDrive excels."

The addition of SATA II-compliant GLS85LS devices builds on the success of Greenliant's PATA (GLS85LD and GLS85LP) products, expanding its portfolio of NANDrive embedded SSDs.

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AuthenTec’s FIPS 201-compliant TouchChip sensor adds strong fingerprint security to Dell Latitude E6520 notebooks

MELBOURNE, USA: AuthenTec, a leading provider of security and identity management solutions, announced that its FIPS 201-compliant TouchChip fingerprint sensor module is now available on the Dell Latitude E6520 notebook PC.

The addition of AuthenTec’s new TCETB1 TouchChip module makes the Latitude E6520 well suited for applications where the Federal Information Processing Standard 201 (FIPS 201) is required for personal identity verification of federal employees and contractors. The TCETB1 module includes AuthenTec’s TCS1 TouchChip sensor, the world’s only silicon-based fingerprint sensor certified to meet FIPS 201 specifications for image quality and fingerprint authentication.

The Dell Latitude E6520 is a business-rugged laptop that features a military standard-tested metal case and highly durable display. It represents the second generation of Dell notebooks to incorporate an AuthenTec TCS1-based TouchChip module with a personal identity verification- (PIV-) compliant smart card reader enabling multi-factor authentication. The Dell Latitude E6520 offers government agencies and contractors a complete endpoint security solution for complying with US government standards.

"Our newest TouchChip module is ideally suited for mobile ID terminals and notebooks offering strong security, such as the new Dell Latitude E6520,” said Mike Chaudoin, AuthenTec’s director of Marketing for Government and Access Control. “We are pleased to expand our relationship with PC industry leader Dell into their new generation of Dell notebooks using our widely accepted TCS1 TouchChip product. We believe that IT administrators who demand strong security and end users who want one-touch simplicity will appreciate what our TouchChip solution brings to this new Dell platform.”

AuthenTec’s new TCETB1 TouchChip module integrates a low profile conductive metal bezel which reduces device thickness to approximately half of the prior generation allowing it to fit into more devices and simplifying design integration to lower bill of materials costs. The TCETB1 offers a rugged yet thin package, on-board memory for sensor calibration data, a USB controller and other features that deliver a self-contained, easy-to-integrate USB module for notebooks, keyboards, smartcard readers, mobile ID terminals and access control devices. AuthenTec’s TCETB1 is significantly thinner than bulky optical fingerprint readers and offers greater power efficiency, making it ideally suited for battery operated mobile devices that must be small and portable yet meet government fingerprint standards.

Whether authenticating holders of national ID cards or securing access to government facilities, AuthenTec technology is used around the world to provide high levels of security. AuthenTec's complete security offering includes fingerprint sensors, identity management software, hardware IP, and encryption software for mobile and networking applications. AuthenTec’s solutions ensure security and user identity from the client to the cloud, and are deployed by the world’s leading companies.

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Eye liner in 3 ways. Comming REAL soon

Привет, девочки!


Я не пропала!!!))) Я тут ! Зато скоро будет три новых видео. Я  пытаюсь найти свой  стиль в редактировании видео, захотелось чего-то новенького, надеюсь вы одобрите :)
 Сами понимаете, что хотелось  прийти в себя, так сказать, перестроить организм после теплого лета.... А погода тут не ice, вечно дожди и холодно уже ( + 14 ).
Так что не переживайте, я скоро вернусь....и с новыми силами!
А пока даю маленькие подсказки насчет будущих видео. Вот одна из них.


P.S. Третье видео будет...необычным!

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Network Support Goes Well Beyond the Ordinary with PCCare247

It surely goes without saying the most prominent chink in an IT security chain is the user itself. Truly, an ideology that at the end of the day also holds true for network threats as well as devices. Thus, bringing to light as to why highly trained and competent professionals are the need of the hour for providing expert network support round-the-clock.  

Correlation between network support and an enterprise 

Corporate big-wigs boasting of a huge number of employees tend to rely on expensive professional networking equipment and highly trained professionals to provide network support. But the scenario totally becomes different for those enterprises where the workstations come down to meager 10-15 nodes. Let alone hiring network support professionals even buying expensive network equipment is anything but a far-fetched proposition.  

And if that’s not all while going on t a residential front and expecting a home user to possess knowledge about network management and equipment such as routers and hubs in all probability would be nothing less of a joke.

The Smaller, the Better 

Network devices the smaller the better they are. All one needs to do is to just go ahead and plug them into a network. But then again the question cropping up would be as to how secure the default settings of such network devices are. And are they really worth using without tweaking their default configurations? Well, in most cases the answer would be a big resounding NO! Since, such devices can pose a big threat to the security because the passwords are not all that difficult to crack. Further, the manufacturer also may go ahead and enable remote administration by default or even create a hidden administrative account that can be used by technical support.

On the other hand most of the current modern household routers are UPnP-enabled which essentially means one has the opportunity to change router settings sans any authentication. Presenting an opportunity wherein it becomes very easy to go on and take control of non-technical users as well as careless professionals. 

Unfortunately, as the scenario is even the most attentive of users cannot make a guarantee towards making their equipment 100% secure. Thus, a point wherein it may be argued network support provided by some of the best professionals in the IT industry is the only way out.  Again one of those situations which to say the very least is tailor-made for an organization such as PCCare247.

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Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421 Portable Monitor with DisplayLink Technology Receives Editors' Choice Award from Laptop Magazine

_{Photo credit: Laptop Magazine}

DisplayLink pioneered a new category with its video USB technology -- the portable monitor. The timing for easy-to-use USB monitors is ideal for the growing number of mobile workers, who can boost productivity and standout during presentations with additional screen real estate.

If you've been looking for the perfect portable monitor, Laptop Magazine has found a winner in the new DisplayLink-enabled Lenovo ThinkVision LT1421. Combining Lenovo's devotion to quality hardware and DisplayLink's powerful USB video technology, it's not hard to see why it grabbed the magazine's Editors' Choice Award.

"This year, we've seen a couple of vendors rise to the challenge by releasing portable USB monitors that can fit right in your notebook bag. Lenovo's 14-inch ThinkVision T1421 ($199) is clearly the best of these portable displays, with wide viewing angles, great image quality, and the ability to transfer power and data over a single USB connection."

Read the rest of the review here.

The review also mentions two other portable monitors that use DisplayLink Technology:

• The Toshiba USB Mobile LCD Monitor, an ultraportable 14" display with 1366 x 768 HD resolution, ideal for presentations and multitasking. Laptop Magazine reviewed it here.
• and the Field Monitor Pro, a clamshell design with a 15.4" display and numeric keypad, targeted at mobile accountants. Laptop Magazine reviewed it here.

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iPhone 5 Could Launch on Oct 14th

Earlier today, Apple began sending out invites to the iPhone event on October 4th. However, due to vacation blackouts around October 14th for Apple, AT&T, and even Sprint, it's assumed that this would be the actual release date. In addition, numerous sources have claimed that October 14th would be the date for the US release of the next generation iPhone.
via BGR and CultOfMac

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ONPATH and QualiSystems to deliver powerful lab automation

MARLTON, USA: ONPATH Technologies, the leader in scalable connectivity and monitoring solutions for high performance networks, and QualiSystems, a global provider of lab management, device provisioning, and test automation software solutions, have been chosen by a number of large carriers in North America to deliver an integrated advanced test automation and lab management solution.

The joint interoperability of QualiSystems' TestShell lab management and automation software, with ONPATH's UCS platform and HorizON software, offers a comprehensive and cost-effective platform for optimizing network testing labs.

With centralized device inventory management and tracking, scheduling and reservations, dynamic port connectivity, simpler automated configuration of devices, and easy setup validation, this complete solution empowers customers to boost lab performance, optimize equipment usage across teams and sites, and reduce both test setup operations time and capital expense.

The ONPATH/QualiSystems solution is quickly being adopted by Fortune 500 joint customers. Most recently, two North American Tier 1 Carriers with focus in the areas of telecommunications, media, and information technology, have chosen to implement the joint solution for the automated management of their test lab environment.

The solution provides the Carriers with highly scalable physical layer switching for high-performance connectivity and monitoring, as well as features such as resource scheduling, built-in control of leading-brand test and networking equipment, and advanced equipment management and utilization tracking. The combination of TestShell software with the UCS platform enables the Carriers to automate connectivity and testing within their labs or from remote locations, allowing them to save valuable time, space, power, and capital, and to improve product quality and shorten release time for their products.

ONPATH's Universal Connectivity System (UCS) portfolio delivers unprecedented scalability – to over 4,000 non-blocking ports of connectivity in a single switch fabric. It is the only solution on the market capable of supporting legacy networks, running at speeds from less than 1Mbps, proprietary single mode optical protocols of any type, as well as today's faster networks running up to 100 Gbps, and beyond.

Facilitating automated network reconfigurations, failure simulation, and regression testing, the UCS platform delivers the industry's most flexible, scalable, and secure technology. It enables customers to significantly improve the visibility and agility of their networks, in order to create test automation infrastructures that conserve time, increase utilization, and save money.

QualiSystems' TestShell is an end-to-end software framework for lab management, device provisioning, and test automation. The software is used by carriers, network service providers, data centers, enterprises, and device manufacturers. TestShell provides complete lab management, resource scheduling, automated device provisioning, topology creation, test automation and comprehensive reporting and analysis. The software framework helps organizations to improve product quality, optimize lab performance, and shorten release time to market.

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Apple iPhone Event: October 4th

Apple has begun sending out the above invites for an iPhone-focused event on October 4th.
The invitation actually is quite clever. The calendar icon is the date, the clock has the time, and the map has the location (1 Infinite Loop, Apple's headquarters in Cupertino).
As for the phone icon? There's only one new notification which could this mean there's only one new iPhone this year. I think Apple would have been clever and made the badge have a '2' on it if they were releasing two new phones, but perhaps I'm reading too much into this.

Either way, this is official now, Apple will announce the next iPhone on October 4th.
via MacRumors

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Fujitsu driving PCB design standard

RICHARDSON, USA: Fujitsu announced its participation in the IPC-2581 Consortium, comprised of printed circuit board (PCB) designers, developers and manufacturers. The Consortium is dedicated to accelerating the adoption of IPC-2581, a vendor-neutral global standard reducing errors in PCB development by automating the exchange of data among supply chain participants.

Traditional approaches to PCB design and manufacturing have relied on a manual exchange of data between collaborating companies. Instructions and component specifications are often transferred between companies using spreadsheets, hand drawn diagrams or notes made during the course of discussions. This unsophisticated approach results in errors due to misunderstandings or the extra step of transferring data and instructions from an unstructured format, i.e., handwritten notes or spreadsheets, to the applications used to layout the elements of and manufacture each PCB.

The purpose of the IPC-2581 standard is to remove those opportunities for human error by creating a universal schema for the automatic sharing of data between PCB design applications; electronic manufacturing services; and fabrication, assembly and test companies.

“From the earliest stages of product design through customer implementation we remain focused on achieving the highest possible quality,” said Hans Roehrig, senior VP of operations and manufacturing, Fujitsu Network Communications. “We are pleased to participate in the IPC-2581 Consortium and we call on others in the PCB supply chain to do the same. At the end of the day, industry providers will profit from fewer mistakes and a faster time to market. Most importantly, customers will receive the products they need with the quality they expect.”

The IPC-2581 Consortium operates under the purview of the IPC—Association Connecting Electronics Industries, which since 1957 has guided the electronic interconnection industry. A global trade association dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its more than 2,900 member companies, IPC represents all facets of the industry including design, PCB manufacturing and electronics assembly.

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US flat-panel TV pricing declines in August for first time in four months

EL SEGUNDO, USA: After rising continuously during the previous four months, US flat-panel television prices declined slightly in August, as economic uncertainty and high inventories took their toll on the market, according to the IHS iSuppli US TV & Specifications Tracker.

The average price in August for flat-panel TVs, a category covering both liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma technologies, fell to $1,145, down $5—or 0.4 percent—from $1,150 in July. Although the decline was less than 1 percent, it was significant because it represented the first decrease since March, when prices fell $21.60 from February.Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

The retreat in pricing was apparent especially among larger-sized TVs. Pricing was down 1 percent in the 30- to 39-inch range, down 3 percent in the 40- to 49-inch group, and down 2 percent in the larger-than- 50-inch category.

“Larger-sized televisions have been hard to sell given the slow economy and the absence in general of a big-enough price decline to motivate consumers to buy,” said Riddhi Patel, director for television systems and retail services at IHS.

For those few companies that dared to offer aggressive price reductions, consumers rewarded them with an increase in sales. This was case with Japan’s Sharp Corp., whose 60-inch TV sets sold well in the American market after discounting, even taking share away from 55-inch sets offered by rival companies.

In the 3-D television segment, pricing in the 30- to 39-inch group dipped below the $1,000 level in August for the first time since the size group was made available in 3-D in March. Other TV sizes in the 3-D category also suffered a dip in pricing, ranging from less than 1 percent in the over-50 size to 3 percent for both 30- to 39-inch and 40- to 49-inch models.

Only two categories of flat-panel TVs saw pricing increase in August—the 20-inch and smaller sector, as well as the 21- to 29-inch group. This was because advanced features like light-emitting diode (LED) technology were finally being offered on smaller sets, such as the 18.5-inch and 19-inch sizes.

Interest is rising in smaller-sized televisions, which are being placed by consumers in secondary areas of the home like the kitchen or the dining room, IHS research has determined.

A surprising development was an increase in the price of non-LED models—specifically, LCD TVs still featuring the older cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL) technology—predominant among flat panel televisions before the advent of the currently more fashionable LED sets. Except for the 40-49-inch category, all other sizes for CCFL-based LCD TVs saw pricing increase in August, suggesting that the less-than-cutting-edge models continued to have a place in the market. Until CCFL models are phased out—expected within the next few years—brands will continue to ship them, especially because they are less expensive than their LED counterparts.

In the plasma flat-panel television segment, pricing in August fell by an average of $80 for 50-inch-and-larger sets and by $21 for 40- to 49-inch sizes, compared to their levels in July. Among consumers, only 21.5 percent chose to replace a plasma set with another plasma model—which means that the majority, or 78.5 percent, abandoned plasma for a different technology, such as LCD, according to a second quarter report from the IHS iSuppli US TV Consumer Preference Analysis Service.

In comparison, 90 percent of consumers chose to replace an LCD TV with another set of the same type of display technology that sported either CCFL or LED backlight technology.

Plasma 3-D TV prices suffered the same slippage occurring in other flat-panel TV areas, although they retained greater stability compared to pricing for non-3-D plasma sets, and were also cheaper than their 3-D LCD rivals.

Overall, inventories in August for flat-panel TVs increased to a manageable seven to eight weeks on average. For the 55-inch and larger models, however, inventory levels were much higher than normal, especially as they already were at 10 weeks by July, compared to an otherwise normal level of six to eight weeks for that size range.

Source: IHS iSuppli, USA.

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AutoBuzz – amazing JTAG/boundary-scan tool for debug and repair

EINDHOVEN, THE NETHERLANDS: The makers of JTAG Live Buzz and Buzz-plus are proud to announce AutoBuzz, the most exciting addition yet to their no-netlist-required range of JTAG/boundary-scan test and debug tools.

AutoBuzz is an amazing tool that uses a unique ‘seek and discover’ feature to scan completely a compliant design and then perform comparative tests using JTAG/boundary-scan.

With only JTAG scan-chain information plus BSDL models of the JTAG/IEEE std 1149.1 compliant parts (available from manufacturers’ web-sites), users of AutoBuzz will be able to connect to their designs via a number of compatible JTAG interface options. AutoBuzz can then be set to gather a complete ‘connectivity map’ of any board’s boundary-scan to boundary-scan pin connections (where these can be direct or via ‘transparent’ devices such as series resistors).

AutoBuzz supports just two simple operating modes: Learn and Compare. With AutoBuzz in Learn mode a ‘known good’ sample PCB is initially scanned to establish a reference connectivity map. Suspected faulty boards can then be scanned by AutoBuzz in Compare mode, and a comparison is automatically made of their connectivity maps. Differences between the two maps are highlighted to indicate possible faults such as interconnect short-circuits, open-circuits or ‘stuck-at’ faults.

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3DVIA users can now buy Mixamo-provided bundles of characters, animations and textures

BANGALORE, INDIA: Dassault Systèmes, a world leader in 3D and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced a partnership between its 3DVIA brand and Mixamo, the online, 3D animation service. As a result of the partnership, some 270,000 3DVIA account holders can purchase Mixamo animated characters through the 3dvia.com online store for easy use in 3D development projects.

“Mixamo’s animated characters will open doors for 3DVIA’s community of 3D application developers,” said Lynne Wilson, CEO of 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “These animations will not only help developers shorten dev cycles, but provide them with compelling, pre-made content.”

Eighty Mixamo animations with characters are currently available on the 3dvia.com Store, with plans to add more from the thousands available on the Mixamo Web. Characters range from humans to animals and are searchable via a “Mixamo” and “Animations” link from the top-level “Store” tab on 3DVIA’s home page. All Mixamo animations, which are bundled with their corresponding characters and textures at the time of download, have been optimized for easy use in 3DVIA Studio, 3DVIA’s powerful, yet easy-to-use, development tool for creating online, 3D applications.

“Like 3DVIA, Mixamo prides itself on providing accessible 3D solutions that aide in the development processes,” said Stefano Corazza, PhD, CEO of Mixamo. “We’re excited to extend our offerings to the 3DVIA community and look forward to further integration of our offerings.”

3DVIA is Dassault Systèmes’ brand for online 3D lifelike experiences. It establishes 3D as a universal media for consumer and professional communities, and allows anyone to imagine, play and experience products and services used in our daily lives.

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China’s three leading TV makers edge into global top 10

TAIWAN: According to WitsView, a research division of TrendForce, and Chinese research institute, Σintell, top six China TV brands July shipment have increased to 2.924 million units with MoM growth of 12.5 percent and YoY growth of 33.7 percent; another 16 percent YoY growth is expected in August.

The weak market demand during the same period last year, the price cutting promotions launched by main brands in China in July, and follow-up stocking for holidays are all contributing factors to this growth. In contrast, the LCD TV panel procurement has been sliding to 2.79 million units with MoM regressed demand of 8.2 percent.

WitsView has modified the worldwide LCD TV demand to 201.4 million units this June, and the latest number has indicated the YoY growth of merely 7 percent of the overall demand. Due to the current global economic status and the fact that “house appliance to the countryside” subsidies will be gradually terminated (three provinces by the end 2011 and nine provinces in 2012), the growth in China is expected to drop from 15 percent this year to 10~12 percent in 2012, and the overall growth of wolrdwide LCD TV next year will be around 7~10 percent.

July shipment status for top six brands
WitsView Assistant VP, Burrell-Liu, indicates that the July shipments for the top six Chinese brands are as follows: TCL ranked top one with 25 percent growth, followed by Changhong’s 16 percent of growth, Hisense increased its shipment by 15 percent, while Skyworth and Konka increased by 13 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively. Meanwhile, Haier suffered the sole drop of 13 percent.

In terms of the July shipment ratio for all brands, Hisense is ranked number one with 25 percent of shares followed by the TCL’s 21 percent, Skyworth’s 19 percent. Haier’s market share dropped to 8.5 percent, and ranked last. Most notably, Hisense, TCL, and Skyworth ranked from number 8 to 10 among the Top 10 global LCD TV brand market shares.

Table 1: Market shares of global LCD TV shipments in first half of 2011Source: WitsView, Taiwan.

The penetration rates for six LED TV major brands in July are around 48 percent, while the average penetration rate of LED TV from January to July is around 40 percent. According to WitsView survey, the overall LCD TV penetration rate is approximately 42 percent, while the average penetration rate among top six brands in China is roughly 45 percent.

The domestic and international shipment ratios between January and July shipments for six major brands was approximately 76 percent to 24 percent, while the shipment ratio between China and international markets was about 73 percent to 27 percent. In July, there was a MoM growths of both shipment ratio and shipment quantity of domestic market for the first time since May, and the high shipment level has been maintained for export.

July panel procurement status for top six brands
In July, CMI accounted for 38 percent of the shipments of the top six panel brands and maintained the leading position for three consecutive months, with YoY growth of 56 percent and MoM growth of 13.5 percent. LGD ranked 2nd with 24 percent of total shipments (regressed 16 percent from the previous month).

AUO and SAMSUNG ranked third and fourth with market shares of 17 percent and 15 percent, respectively. As of July this year, the top four of the six major panel makers, CMI and LGD have secured first and second place with 29.5 percent and 29.2 percent, respectively, while SEC and AUO took 17.7 percent and 17.2 percent of shares, respectively.

Conclusion
WitsView’s assistant VP, Burrell Liu, indicated that with the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holidays in China, the overall shipments among six major brands are estimated to grow by 19 percent in Q3. Despite the significant increase in shipment expectation, the six major brands must carefully control their TV and panel shipments with a current inventory of six weeks. Moreover, while market demand in China has been relatively robust compared to the markets in other parts of the world, China only accounts for about 20 percent of the global market, hardly enough momentum to drive the demand and other international brands in the remaining 80 percent of the markets.

WitsView has also estimated the global LCD TV growths at around 15 percent in both Q3 and Q4. This number may appear decent, but it has been modified several times with reduced demands. With the excessive production capacity, the growth hardly alleviates the oversupply situation and price decline.

From the suppliers perspective, Korean makers maintained about 80% of average utilization rates, after taking into consideration of their customer bases and marketing strategies. The reduction of utilization rate is necessary to prevent further price decline and to maintain a balance of the overall production and sales. The price decline can only be stopped if Taiwanese makers reduced their production capacity to a extreme of 50 percent as in 2008. However, a consensus in production reduction among panel makers is necessary for panel price to be stabilized both in Q4 or in the future.

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Apple Updates Malware Definitions

Remember that PDF based trojan I reported on just 3 days ago? If not, there's a link, I recommend reading that story first, getting mildly frightened, and then coming back here for comfort.

Okay, don't be frightened, Apple has already issued an update to the built in malware definitions in Mac OS. That means, without knowing it, your Mac has already updated and protected itself against this trojan. Of course, this is only available to users of Mac OS Snow Leopard or Lion. But that's just another reason to upgrade. Lion has far better security than it's predecessors, even Snow Leopard. So, if you're really worried about security, upgrading to Lion would be your best bet.
via tuaw

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Facebook iPad App is "Feature Complete"

iPad users have been waiting for a Facebook app of their own for some time. However, according to the lead developer on the Facebook iPad App development team, it's been "feature complete" since May. That's why, fed up with the release delay, he's left the team to go work for Google.

Why would Facebook sit on top of a completed app for so long? According to Mashable, it's because the Facebook team is planning on releasing it alongside iOS 5. Facebook and Apple haven't exactly gotten along in the past. First, it was the removal of Facebook integration in Ping. Then, disagreements kept it from being integrated into iOS 5, as Twitter will be. So, perhaps this is finally a chance for the two companies to start getting along.

With any luck, the improved iPad app will be in the hands of users early next month. And, for the sake of iPad users, I hope it's less bug prone than Facebook's current iOS app.
via Gizmodo

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SMTC completes acquisition of ZF Array Technology

TORONTO, CANADA: SMTC Corp., a global electronics manufacturing services provider, has completed its acquisition of ZF Array Technology Inc., a privately held electronics manufacturing services provider with operations in San Jose, California.

ZF specializes in manufacturing complex electronics equipment and providing systems integration services for some of the world's leading telecommunication, wireless and life science equipment manufacturers.

Co-CEO Alex Walker stated: "We are very excited about the opportunities for growth that this acquisition creates. I'd like to welcome ZF to the SMTC team, and I am looking forward to integrating both companies' offerings together to provide both our new and existing customers with synergistic engineering and operational capabilities."

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DisplayLink USB 3.0 Graphics a Big Hit at IDF

DisplayLink hit the ground running at this year's IDF, showing off a host of USB 3.0 enabled devices, such as Targus' new USB3 docking station (running dual 1080p support) and IO-DATA's USB 3.0 to HDMI adater.

So even if you weren't able to make it to the show, you can still see what DisplayLink served up for attendees by checking out their YouTube newsreel

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Mom it Monday + GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday!

I know Monday's aren't generally people's favorite day BUT I'd like to change that - a bit anyway. 

Besides my designs, patterns, tutorials, etc I tend to sneak in a bit about being a mom too. Sometimes to me it feels out of place so I haven't shared as many projects as I'd like. UNTIL now! 

Starting today, each Monday here on the Brassy Apple blog will be MOM IT MONDAY! 

I will share a kids craft idea, party idea, fun twist on family dinner, family activity, etc. Things that pertain to kids and family life. The weekends are always fun or full of activities but sometimes it's making it through the week that can be rough! (wink)

I hope that MOM it MONDAY will be a resource for you available at the beginning of the week for whenever you need it during the week!

QUESTION - would you like to have a LINK UP party added to MOM it Monday? It would be for just kid/family related projects, crafts, activities, parties, etc. (could be a "PIN-fest" each monday!)

GIVEAWAY!!! I've got a package full of goodies (instead of a tutorial to share) for 1 of my followers! I will send 1 lucky winner this package:

Popcorn fabric banner - Kara's party ideas
Earrings + black scarf - Mona Lisa Consignments
Cabochon Ring - PB & J handprints
I love you because print - Kiki Creates
3 month membership - Deals to Meals

BUT - this is for my BLOG followers! to be eligible you must follow my blog! If you don't yet - click the button on the right sidebar and join the fun! 

to enter:

1. must be a follower of my blog :) 

2. **Leave a comment telling me YES or NO to adding a link up party to MOM it Monday! **

3. Like my FB page - leave a separate comment HERE that you did

Have fun!!! and good luck! (be sure your email address is linked to your blogger ID so I contact you if you win!)

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